The return of the Sonics in 2013-14 would give Seattle a chance to reconnect with its NBA history after a five-year absence. Associated Press

The five most interesting stories, rumors and notes in the NBA:

1. Coming back: The price is steep, and I don't mean the $525 million a group will pay for the Sacramento Kings in order to move them to Seattle. The price is breaking the hearts of fans in Sacramento, who deserve so much better.

That will indeed be the name of the team, which will play in KeyArena for two years before moving into a new arena that will be built near Safeco Field.

This morning, the NBA officially acknowledged the agreement, issuing a statement that said: "The NBA received an executed Purchase and Sale
Agreement for the transfer of a controlling interest in the Sacramento
Kings from the Maloof family to an investor group led by Christopher
Hansen. The proposed transaction is subject to the
approval of the NBA Board of Governors and has been referred to the
Board's committee process for review."

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson -- whose repeated efforts to keep the Kings in his city have been one of the few bright spots in Sacramento -- is still hoping for a buzzer-beat. Johnson plans to address the Board of Governors to try to convince members to accept a counteroffer that would keep the team in Sacramento, the Sacramento Bee reports.

But the move to Seattle has all the momentum. Seattle Times columnist Steve Kelley -- not one to indulge in unbridled giddiness -- indulges in unbridled giddiness as he writes about the return of the Sonics:

What's the rule on number of exclamation points allowed in a column?

Why is the Hallelujah Chorus playing in my head?

It appears the Sonics-to-be have no intention of simply moving the current Kings north and starting next season with them. Wojnarowski reports that the new Seattle owners are aiming high and are talking about targeting San Antonio GM R.C. Buford and Larry Bird as possible executives to run the franchise.

Kelley, in his column, writes that rumors are circulating that the new team could try to tap Phil Jackson to run the the front office. As for a coach -- how about Mr. Sonic, Nate McMillan?

There are a ton of other things to work out, including where to place the Sonics in terms of division. Clearly, they need to at least be in the same division as the Blazers, but how to accomplish that? The current map makes it awkward.

The NBA went to six divisions in 2004-05, when the Bobcats joined the league after the Hornets left Charlotte for New Orleans, but even before that, the old four division format was always geographically awkward. I think a lot of fans -- at least those on the West Coast -- miss the old Pacific-Midwest-Atlantic-Central format.

But there's time to work all that out. And maybe Johnson, as he's done several times, can pull off one last clutch play. But barring that, it appears we will once again have an I-5 rivalry.

He was in Minnesota's training camp this season, but didn't survive the final cut and was playing in the D-League when the Timberwolves called again, needing front-line help after their crazy slew of injuries.

Johnson was so good down the stretch, fans in the Target Center targeted him with an "M-V-P" chant. How about that?3. Party pooper: Is it wrong that this made me laugh? During a timeout in Sunday's Thunder-Nuggets game in Denver, mascot Rocky (some sort of mountain lion) attempted a few over-the-head halfcourt shots, as plenty of mascots do (Portland's Blaze, for example).

"ok i'm already bored!!! Need some suggestions as to what to do to fill the day. Lets hear some good ones"

If Gentry likes a good soap opera, he could have simply followed the labored effort to name his successor. The Suns went with Lindsey Hunter, the team's player-development coordinator. The Arizona Republic's Paul Coro describes the nutty scene at Sunday's practice:

Assistant coach Dan Majerle left US Airways Center after General
Manager Lance Blanks informed him of his pick. Elston Turner, the lead
assistant whose role normally gets the promotion, never made it to the
court and spent the time talking with Mark West, the team’s vice
president of player programs.

The Suns players, most of whom asked management to pick Majerle, went
to work on the second half of their sinking season with Hunter leading a
practice he learned he was running 45 minutes earlier.

5. Building a Wall: The Wizards (8-30) come to the Rose Garden tonight with the worst record in the NBA, but with the Blazers suffering through a five-game losing streak, they can hardly take anyone lightly. In fact, this a dangerous game for Portland.

Washington might be the only team in the league without 10 wins, but half of their wins have come in the last two weeks, when they've gone 4-2, with wins over Oklahoma City and at Denver.

Coming off the bench, Wall is averaging 15.6 points and 7.6 assists in 24.6 minutes. He played a season-high 31 minutes and scored 24 points in a loss to the Clippers on Saturday.

"I feel like I’m getting better day by day,” Wall tells Lee. "I’m
feeling healthy and doing a great job of getting my team involved and
taking the shots my teammates are giving me."

Not that the Blazers shouldn't have plenty of motivation. Tonight's game is a rematch of the Nov. 28 meeting in Washington in which the then-0-12 Wizards beat Portland 84-82, a loss The Oregonian's Joe Freeman, in his midseason report, called one of the three worst losses of the season.

And the Blazers could also try to win one for the boss: Today is owner Paul Allen's 60th birthday.

Cheap plug: We'll have a live chat at noon on the Blazers, All-Star picks and anything else you want to talk about.